Circle Centre nabs Punch Bowl Social

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Punch Bowl Social, opening in September 2016 in Downtown Indy, is a combination of cool “gastro-diner” food; craft cocktails, including shareable punch bowls; and old-school games like bowling, shuffleboard, Ping-Pong and private karaoke rooms, all arranged in a stylish setting. Exteriors look similar no matter the place. Five locations, including Denver, Colo.; Portland, Ore.; and Austin, Texas, are open. Four more, one in Brooklyn, N.Y., are in development. Punch Bowl Social

The Punch Bowl Social aesthetic is billed “dirty modern,” blending mountain lodge, Victorian, industrial and mid-century modern. This is the lounge scene at the Portland, Ore., location. Punch Bowl Social

Chris Crane of Rochester makes his approach on the lanes at Punch Bowl Social in Detroit. Not the mountain lodge feel of the antler chandelier. The location opened in August 2015. It also houses ping-pong tables, arcade games and shuffleboard.(Photo: Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press)

Story Highlights

Going to a restaurant or bar is no longer just about eating and drinking. We want “eatertainment,” and Downtown Indy is getting one of the category’s hottest concepts.

Punch Bowl Social is a combination of cool “gastro-diner” food; craft cocktails, including shareable punch bowls; and old-school games like bowling, shuffleboard, Ping-Pong and private karaoke rooms, all arranged in a stylish, “dirty modern” design blending mountain lodge, Victorian, industrial and mid-century modern.

Opening May 2016 in Downtown’s Circle Centre, on Georgia Street at Meridian Street, Punch Bowl Social will be below IndyStar offices in the former Nordstrom space, Punch Bowl CEO and founder Robert Thompson said.

Nation’s Restaurant News this year billed 3-year-old Punch Bowl Social one of America’s top 10 “breakout brands,” meaning cutting-edge concepts capable of redefining foodservice. Five locations, including Denver, Colo.; Portland, Ore.; and Austin, Texas, are open. Four more, including one in Brooklyn, N.Y., are in development.

Punch Bowl Social facades look similar no matter the place. Five locations, including Denver, Colo.; Portland, Ore.; and Austin, Texas, are open. Four more, one in Brooklyn, N.Y., are in development.(Photo: Punch Bowl Social)

Expect some 500 seats, but an overall space able to host 1,000 people, in the 23,000-square-foot Indy Punch Bowl Social, Thompson said. Separate bar, dining and play areas serve the full menu, he added. A small patio is planned. Live music is not part of the mix.

Vegetarian and gluten-free items abound among snacks, shareable plates, soups, salads, entrees and burgers, most similar across locations but some customized to each market.

“We try to be culinarily nimble,” Thompson said, adding that the company’s from-scratch cooking claims are not a gimmick.

“Anybody that wants to come back and watch us make our biscuits from scratch every morning is welcome to do it because it’s the way we do it at every Punch Bowl,” said Thompson, who hails from Mississippi.

An acclaimed Denver restaurateur whose concepts have been heralded in Wine Spectator, Gourmet and Cigar Aficionado magazines and on Food Network, Thompson launched Punch Bowl Social in 2012 in Denver. The company has quickly grown from $13 million in annualized sales to, Thompson projected, $65 million in annual revenue in 2016.

Thompson studied Indianapolis neighborhoods and visited regularly before deciding on Downtown for Punch Bowl Social, which could employ as many as 300 people here. “Nothing had sort of the mass success of that downtown area,” he said. While Indy’s small downtown hosts dozens of restaurants, Thompson thinks the large number is beneficial.

“We don’t consider other restaurants competition. We consider them gravity, and we need a lot of gravity to fill a Punch Bowl. We love the energy and the gravity going on in Downtown Indianapolis. We like how everything comes together between locals and out-of-towners that all seem to congregate in the downtown area.”